The Scarlet Thread
by imaginationstarie13
Summary: Frank is stuck between two very different worlds: one which is his shattered life with the justice he is used to, and one that is based upon revenge where some of his most important loved ones are.
1. Chapter 1

This story's been devveloping on me deviantArt account for a while, so I thought I should try and post it here too.

This is going to need a lot of explanation to get the story... I'm sorry if I confuse anyone in the process.  
Hell Girl: an interesting anime that plays a big part in the plot. To summarize, a girl named Ai Enma come to people (person A, for the sake of this explanation) who access Hell Correspondence (a website) at midnight and give them a straw doll with a scarlet thread around its neck. If person A pulls the thread, the person's name that was entered into the website will go to Hell immediately. However, person A will go to Hell when they die, although their death is natural/caused by an accident, not from Hell Girl's powers.

Ai originally has three servants. Hone Onna, Ichimokuren (also known as just Ren), and Wanyuudou. They are not important yet, but the general idea of Ai's servants are. They turn into the straw dolls at Ai's command. They each have a different set of powers to help them with the "case" they are on, usually stalking a person various ways to determine things about them. When person does pull the string, the victim will go through some torture from the servants, usually exposing the sins they have commited.

I suggest going on Wikipedia or Funimation's official site to find out more. I will post up info about things that are needed to be known in the author's notes, too.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

**Hell Correspondence. A website that only the ones who truly grieve can access at midnight. The rumors say that Hell Girl will come, and avenge you. But, there is always a price to pay.**

**Even the infamous girl pays her debts, as she has been for centuries…**

-------------------------

_"Mistress?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Kukiko has been with the boy for quite a while. How much longer must we wait?"_

_"Be patient."_

_A pause, and then the response. "As you say, Mistress."_

------------------------

Frank woke up with a sudden gasp, sweating and shaking. The conversation hadn't scared him as much as it had used to. But still, the thought of someone going through with the contract…

He sighed, and tried to calm himself down. Sadly, this happens a lot. Over there, the website is common news, as is the disappearance of so many people.

It was human nature to do such things. It had been explained to him, and he had to accept it. He had known, from the countless cases that he had taken part in, that human nature had been a main cause for the pain and torture.

He had grasped the idea, and accepted it in his own way.

And yet, the dreams kept coming. They were explained as a connection formed by mistake (or possibly fate), and no one knew how to break it. It was another thing he was to accept. And he did, as night after night he saw a new situation come to light, making him wonder more and more if their fates truly deserved to be the way they were.

But that was all he could do: ponder, and watch from a distance.

----------------------

_"'Bout time he pulled it."_

_"Let us go." The girl rose, and went to put on her kimono._

_"Of course, Mistress."_

_The figures streaked across the sky, a girl riding the back of a very large stork._

_Once they had disappeared, a new figure came into view. It was a boy, around his mid-teens. A brunette, who was laughing for his latest prank that had left someone severely injured. Within seconds, he had opened his eyes, to find himself at the edge of a roof of a skyscraper. He looked around wildly, wondering how he had ended up there when he was at school seconds before. Looking down, he realized that there was a steady fire spreading near the base, and seemed to be gaining height and speed._

_"Help me!"_

_"Wuss." He turned, to find a boy a few years older than him smirking at his direction._

_"You think this is funny?! I could die!"_

_"Oh really?" In an instant, the challenger changed into a panther, and began to force the boy closer to the edge._

_"Please, stop!"_

_"And what would that prove? That you're a big scared-y cat?"_

_"What?!"_

_"To think that someone as strong as you would be scared by a little flame." He turned around, to find a girl in her late teens smirking at him. "Come now." From her pocket of her school uniform, she grabbed a spool of thread, and the thread launched itself around the boy. Bound by the red thread, he was pulled toward the edge._

_"Please, stop!"_

_"So, will you confess to your sins then?"_

_"Sins? What sins?! All I've ever done was help people with their fears!" His shouts were cold and threatening, even though the fire had risen so close to the top._

_The panther seemed to smile, as he said "So he says, Mistress."_

_"Huh?"_

_A girl in a beautiful kimono appeared, floating above the victim. Her face was emotionless, as she began to speak._

_"Oh pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Oh damned soul, wallowing in your sin…"_

_The boy stared into her red eyes, shaking in fright._

_"Perhaps, it is time to die."_

_She extended her right hand, and the bracelet with the bells attached jingled. The scene disappeared, and a boat came to view, slowly floating toward the_ _horizon._

---------------------

Frank walked down the stairs, slowly. Another day, another person being rowed to Hell. Another dream to haunt him.

As he descended, he reminded himself what he had told Q back at ATAC.

_"It's the way it is. And it's a curse to both sides. She doesn't want to, but it's her curse."_

"Frank, dear, your father wants to talk to you in his office."

"Okay, Mom."

He headed back up the stairs, and over to the room, where his father was. He would have usually waited till after breakfast, but his habit of not eating developed after the first dream. He would eat now, except on the mornings where the dreams that had visited him were of the contract coming to reality.

Knocking, he heard his father's voice, allowing him to enter. On the desk, he noticed his Aunt Trudy had made pancakes, and his father had been kind enough to bring him a plate for him to eat. At that moment, he realized that his family must have noticed his eating patterns now.

"Morning, Dad."

"Frank, I want to talk to you about one of your recent cases."

A fear ran through the brunette's mind, but all he said was "Yeah? What about it?"

"This… This 'Hell Girl' you spoke of… Q told me about your discoveries."

"And…?"

"I understand this is some sort of 'power'-" The older man made quotation marks in the air. "-but, I rather not leave this alone."

"What do you mean?"

"What I am asking you is to come with me to Japan, and help me track down this Hell Girl. I don't care if she is 'cursed' or anything. She needs to stop her destruction."

"But, Dad-"

"I know you worked on the case, and your Japanese is more fluent that mine. I want you to come Frank."

Frank's mind went numb at the thought of what will occur if he did.

"We need to stop Hell Girl."


	2. Chapter 2

Hardy Boys and Hell Girl are not mine

Okay, another explanation...  
The Shibatas are a Japanese family introduced in season 1 of Hell Girl. The family consists of two people: Hajime (father) and Tsugumi (daughter). The most important thing to know about them is that they are very distant relatives of Ai. She lived in fuedal Japan, and had a cousin. The cousin had kids, and eventually the Shibatas of modern time are here. She tried to kill them once, but stops once realizing her cousin loved her. The two had discovered Ai's past, and that she was damned to be Hell Girl because she killed her whole village for trying to sacrifice her when she was seven.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

**"You've summoned me. My name is Ai."**

------------------

The plane ride to come days later was dragged out between the three planes. Fenton Hardy had mostly slept, while Frank became attentive to the scenic view the window seat had given him. He distracted himself with the overhead sightseeing, trying not to think about the things to come.

And then it happened again.

His luck had held out, though. Everyone on the plane was either in deep slumber or coming close to it. He was able to keep his voice lowered as well, so it wouldn't be overheard.

"'So, you want revenge for her acts?'" the brunette heard himself mumbling. _The sun was setting, as it usually did, radiating brilliant bright colors. It gave a feeling of warmth, but also the sense of the flame within the people._

_"It's all her fault! If she hadn't ruined my life-"_

His father was beginning to stir. "Did… you say somethin'?"

Frank was startled, ignoring part of the vision as he tried to remain calm. "Just thinking…" he replied, turning away as another part came to him.

"'That's all you have to do. But, your end of the contract is a bit more complicated.'"

"Huh?"

"Just remembering… the case…"

"Oh." The retired cop settled back into his chair, and started to drift off again.

"'Of course, you still get to decide…'"

------------------

_"It's been a while, Frank."_

"How is this-"

_"Putting it kindly, you're asleep. And I'm visiting."_

"Kindly?" He chuckled.

_"What are you doing, though? I thought-"_

"It's Dad. He wants to stop her."

The silence between the two could not have lasted more than a few moments, but it felt like an eternity.

_"He won't be able to stop her."_

Frank could only nod.

"_You're both using fake names, right?"_

"Yeah…"

_"Be careful, Frank. I'll see you later."_

------------------

His father had arranged for them to stay with a reporter by the name of Hajime Shibata, who had apparently tried to track down Hell Girl himself more than a year ago. He and his daughter Tsugumi had moved into a new house recently, but had agreed to allow them to stay.

"So you're Fumihiko and your son…"

"Fusao," Frank reminded his host in Japanese. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shibata-san."

"As to you. And this is my kid, Tsug-" Hajime turned around. "Great. Where'd she go?"

"Sorry, Hajime-chan." A young girl about eight or nine years old ran up to the three men. "I'm Tsugumi!"

"Nice to meet you, Tsugumi…" Fenton Hardy became thoughtful for a second.

"-Chan, Dad. Tsugumi-chan," Frank reminded his father.

"Oh, yes…"

The group piled into Hajime's car, and they were off to the new house.

------------------

"So, have you been to Japan before?" Tsugumi had asked Frank as they reached the house. The fathers were busy engaged in their own conversation, and paid no attention to the two in the backseat.

"I have. This is my dad's first time visiting, though. And…" Frank half choked on his next words, struggling not to lose self control. "And my younger brother was here for a foreign exchange program when he was killed."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I think he was happy to be here. He always had wanted to go here…" Frank looked down, and met her eyes. "I think he's fine, though. It's almost like I can feel his presence here."

"That's good. I can feel my mom's presence sometimes too." Tsugumi looked at the floor in embarrassment. "But, I think she just wants to make sure I'm okay."

"Yeah, same here." Frank turned, and looked out the window. "Sometimes, I might be the one watching him…"

------------------

"So, what do you know about Late Girl?" It was night, and the four were all surrounding the dining room table, eating dinner.

"Huh?" Hajime turned to Frank, already learning that the younger one had known more Japanese.

"He meant Hell Girl." Looking at his father, Frank told him in English "_Jigoku_ is Hell. _Chikoku_ is late."

"Oh…"

Hajime, however, had begun to have changed attitudes completely. "So, you're names-"

"Fake."

"Ah. Well… Ai Enma isn't all that she appears to be."

"Really now?" The older Hardy seemed to have started taking mental notes for future reference.

"She's cursed. Forced to ferry souls to Hell for others, and watching the victims suffering the same fate."

"She was in love, too." The three turned to the young girl, who whispered "She was in love, and had her heart broken."

"Sad." Frank could tell it was false sympathy from his father, but said nothing.

------------------

He was still up in the middle of the night, listening to a tapping on the glass door leading to the balcony. Frank had been lucky, since no one else really wanted the bedroom next to the balcony. He guessed Tsugumi would want the room one day, but not currently.

Getting up, the brunette headed toward the door, moving the long curtains and sliding the door open. What caught his sight at first was the clear night sky, with only the stars and the moon placed within.

"Nice, isn't it?" Frank turned, to find a blonde, about a year younger than him, staring back with shining blue eyes.

Instead of answering, he walked up and embraced the other in a hug.

"Nice to see you too." The other hugged Frank back, and the brunette could mentally see him smirking.

"Why did you come here? If Dad catches you-"

"Forget it bro. If he comes close, I will know, jump the ledge, and leave."

"'Jump the ledge'? He'll hear-"

"He'll hear a bird flying. And he'll wonder why the hell you were watching a bird."

"Thanks a bunch." Sarcasm, but it relief to him. To be able to joke like before…

"So, I take it you miss me?"

"Course I do, Joe. Of course I do."


	3. Chapter 3

Still don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl...  
The vanilla ice cream thing was mentioned in "Rocky Road." Frank's taste in ice cream sucks.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"This is for you. If you truly wish revenge, untie the scarlet thread from the totem's neck. Pulling the thread binds you into a covenant with me. I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell."**

---------------

"Does Dad think I'm in Hell or something? Cuz, you know, my body's kinda in America…"

"No. I convinced him otherwise. But he… He hates the fact that there's something other than the justice system to help people. Not to mention the fact of the whole Hell business."

"Not everyone is a friend of the Hell business." Joe tore his gaze away from Frank, and stared off towards the moon. "But it's like a desperation act. The last chance for them to survive…"

Frank did not respond to the statement, and Joe didn't encourage one. Both just stood on the balcony, as Frank tried to understand what he was suppose to say before his brother left. "So… How's she?"

"A typical Frank question. 'How's she?' Well- wait. Which one?"

"I dunno. Both, I guess."

"Well, Kukiko's plain crazy. She stalks people in pictures, reflections, and in person! I mean, it's her job, but still…"

"And… what about Ai?"

Joe almost laughed when he heard the name. "Should have known. I really should have known!"

"Shut it, Joe. Just shut it."

"What?! I can't help it if my older, wiser brother has no knowledge of love!"

"Joe…"

"As they say, 'Love is a fool's wisdom and a wise man's folly'! Or… Something like that…"

"Okay, Joe. Two things. One, since when did you start quoting from other people? And why can't you just answer my damn question?"

"It's a gift, bro. I will show it no disrespect by using it as often as I can. And it's fun messing with you and all of your smartness and Frankness."

"'Frankness'? What is that, exactly?"

"It's you and all your smartness and taste for the bland all in one! Besides, it needed some kind of name."

"Vanilla ice cream is not bland."

"Oh, right, I forgot. It's just plain. Unless you decide to act more daring, and add butterscotch."

"There's nothing wrong with vanilla ice cream or butterscotch. Stupidity, on the other hand-"

"Face it Frank. No one in the whole universe can compare to you and your swelled up brain. So do us a favor and go to another planet with all of your alien friends."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing… Exceptyourplanforrulingtheworldwithyouralienatecleanliness."

"I understood that, you know."

"Yeah, I do."

It was like nothing had changed, as Frank noted in his head. It was as if the horrible murder had never happened. They were only two brothers, and the line of life and death, loyalties to justice or a different realm, had just vanished. The crevice that had been between them had closed, even if it was only for a few minutes…

"Joseph." Both heads turned to find a teenage girl who looked younger than she actually was. Her red eyes shone within the darkness, contrasting to her pale skin. Frank felt his heart become dishevel, and his thoughts became depreciated in his mind.

"A new request?" A simple nod of the head, and before their eyes, the image of his brother had changed into a crow.

"See you later, Frankie!"

"Don't call me that!"

The crow had laughed, and took flight towards the horizon of a night sky and a city.

Both spectators watched until the figure had disappeared altogether, and then set their gazes upon each other. Frank began to feel benighted, and the only path from the darkness were the red orbs.

"Ai Enma." The words barely left his lips, as he began to wonder what else he could say to her.

"You've entered a complicate world."

"Yes, I know." _But I think I'm willing to risk it all._

"Have you decided?"

The decision. Yes… he remembered the question clearly in his head. But that didn't mean the answer was as clear to him. And yet, he had already made that decision long ago. He wanted to cross that line, be able to have some common grounds with his desires…

"Yes." He did not have to say any more than that one word.

But, a thought crossed his mind. "Ai… What happened to the others? They're not there in the dreams anymore. It's like they vanished."

"They have."

"Really?"

"They had disappeared eight months ago. We have been looking, but they are gone. It might be something bigger than we thought."

"Yeah… Well, I'll help you in any way I can."

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Ai whispered "Thank you."

By the time his father had come to check up if Frank was getting use to the new time zone at all, Frank was all alone on the balcony, staring at the sky.

----------------

_"Mistress… There's something up. One of the people… escaped."_

_"How?"_

_"That's kinda the problem. He just disappeared. Most likely, he used what was left of his powers."_

_"Is there a connection?"_

_"Possibly. I can't say for certain, but it seems he might be the lead we need. You know… like a detective."_

_"We must not forget the contract. Go watch the girl for now."_

_"Of course, Mistress."_

----------------

There was a connection. If only he knew who the person was… But the answer had eluded him, possibly because Frank had only known the contracts that had involved Joe. For all he knew, it could have been someone from centuries ago.

Truthfully, he only thought about it now, hours later as the sleep finally seeped into his body and mind. He had known a bit from experience how jet lag and time zones can really mess up one's sleeping habits. The oldest Hardy son had even developed his own method to correct the time shift mentally.

However, it had only been used for a small amount of hours. Now, he was on the other side of the world. A sudden change had made the method prove inefficient to him.

_Maybe I'll be able to talk to Joe again…_ he mused. _Maybe… I can ask… And maybe I'll see Ai again…_

----------------

_"Well, she pulled it. Shall we go Mistress?"_

_"Yes."_

---------------

Frank had stayed up, looking at the night sky. He leaned against the glass of the sliding doors, careful not to put too much pressure on them. A cup of hot chocolate sat next to him, releasing vapor as a way to remind the world it was still warm.

"Why do you bother waiting?" Frank barely turned his head to greet his younger brother, transforming from the crow that had flown in seconds before. "It's not going to help your sleeping patterns if you keep on doing this."

"I bother because my dead brother has come back from the grave to talk to me. I do it because he's the only one I can talk to without the tension. He's the only one besides me who hasn't had to choose a side with our parents-"

"Our parents?"

"They've been arguing a lot. Apparently… since you died, they've been more open about it. Every day, they argue about little things. I think… I think this isn't only a trip to stop Ai. It's their only chance to calm down."

"It all goes back to that last chance, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Frank… you know what you had agreed to, right?"

"Yeah, I do. And I don't regret it at all…"

"But?"

"I'm just worried about everything else, that's all. Just about the world we grew up in." A silence passed between the two, before Frank asked "Hey, Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"I think… I think the world's falling apart around me. And I don't think anyone gives a damn."


	4. Chapter 4

Hardy Boys and Hell Girl are not mine...

Enjoy!

* * *

**"Once vengeance is served, you will then have to deliver on your end of the bargain. There always has to be a price. And so, when you die, your soul will also belong to Hell. But, not until you die, of course."**

------------------

It took Frank over a week to get use to the tremendous difference in time zones. His father took even longer. In its own way, this had bothered Frank. His father was not exactly a young man, and worries of him getting hurt upset the younger Hardy quite a bit. The other factor was that his father had interrupted his time with Joe one too many times.

But, Frank had been given enough time to extract the information that he needed from his brother.

_"Be careful Frank. This dude is dangerous. He won't be able to sense my presence from you because he doesn't know my powers. But he may catch on."_

Frank walked down the streets with Tsugumi, eyes gazing over vendors and little shops. His father was right behind them, silently making mental notes of his surroundings. Hajime had gone earlier that day for some assignment, and had left the guests with a map, a list of places they should check out, and (Tsugumi had been outraged at him calling her this) a "tour guide".

They had gone through most of the list, when they had agreed to stop and eat at a café. As Fenton Hardy went to get them some food, Tsugumi had turned and looked at Frank straight in the eyes.

"Do you already know who Ai is?"

The brunette's first thoughts were denying such, but then he began to reason with himself. Joe had told him the Shibata's connections with Ai, so it really couldn't hurt to tell her…

"Just a bit…" iBut enough to make butterflies dance in my stomach./i

"Is that who you were talking to last night?"

"Um…" Well, no point in denying the truth now. "No. It was actually… my brother."

"Really? How?!" Frank saw the light in the young girl's eyes, the hope of her communicating with her mother.

"I… He chose a different path. Your mother probably went on to heaven, but… My brother stayed behind to help someone…"

"Oh." She looked down, in both disappointment and embarrassment. "Well… I hope your brother moves on one day too."

"Yeah…" he heard himself half mumble.

---------------

_"He might be it, Mistress. But the problem is, we can't find him."_

_"Where was he last seen?"_

_"The river, I think."_

_"We must find him. His powers are dangerous to be unchecked."_

_"And considering his state of mind… Who would he try hurt, Kukiko?"_

_"We aren't as important to him, I'm pretty sure. But… He might try to go after you, Mistress. You do realize that, right?"_

_"Yes."_

---------------

Frank had trained his mind to wake up during a certain part of the night, when he knew everyone else would be in deep slumber. It was the only way to get his minimum amount of sleep and be able to speak with his brother.

"You're gonna hurt yourself in the end, you know."

"At the moment, I think my mental state is better than my physical state."

"What? No balance?"

"Nope."

The two sat together in silence. It was hard to start a conversation between them, now that they had a different set of priorities.

"Can you track him down?"

"Not yet. And probably not for a while…"

"Still taking requests?"

"Of course."

Frank did not know what else to say. His brother was caught in almost a war between his old beliefs and this new world. Or, at least, he thought that this was his brother's fate. But from what he has seen, the conclusion was far from the truth. Joe had torn himself apart by choosing this path to walk, but made no visible signs. Heck, the blonde was enjoying himself in his sick way.

"So, you're just free tonight." It wasn't a question, and he wasn't really expecting any retort. However, his brother had something else on his mind.

"Not everyone has such intense hatred, Frank. And, believe it or not, not everyone believes we exist. So we do get the occasional nights off."

"I know, it's just… the dreams had came every night while I was at home. But, if you didn't work all the time…"

"Wait, are you saying-"

"I don't know what I'm saying. But… I hear voices. They keep on calling for help. I always thought it was the client or something…"

"This isn't good, Frank. We don't know who it is, their purpose… For all we know, it could be whoever took the others!"

"I know, I know… but I get the feeling there's something else behind it. What if there's something more than an enemy playing tricks on me?"

"Well, then who else would be doing this?"

Frank looked down at the floor, muttering "I don't know. But we're gonna find out."

--------------

_"So, you're saying he's having dreams about something he cannot identify?"_

_"That's what I just said. At least, I'm pretty sure I just did!"_

_"Shut it."_

_"Well, anyways… What do you make of it?"_

_"Considering the mind bond thing that happened last time, I can't be sure. I don't think it's the enemies' doing, though."_

_"What makes you so sure?"_

_"They aren't that slow. A chance to be caught by us is sloppy, and they've already proven that they made sure to be hidden. Also, they don't know about us yet. Frank only knew about the other servants because we observed them: They never saw us."_

_"So, if they had some magic mind reading powers…"_

_"They can't discover anything about us."_

_"It's weird, don't you think?"_

_"What's weird?"_

_"Mistress told us to stay in the shadows. She almost knew something was going to happen."_

_"Joe, you do realize that Mistress has these kinds of powers, right? Besides, I don't think she knew exactly what was to happen. It was a gut feeling."_

_"Yeah, a gut feeling turned reality."_

------------------

He could hear the voice again. It was in pain, crying for release. But, it wasn't masked into an unknown voice as before. It had cried with the emotions of familiar voices. He couldn't remember exactly whose voice it was, but he knew it…

_"Help me! Help me!!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Still don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"And now, the decision rests with you."**

---------------

Frank slowly descended down the stairs, wondering about the voices. Now that he knew for certain it wasn't one of the countless victims, he was determined to recollect the owners. But, it sounded easier than the actually task.

He heard his father attempting to speak with Hajime, and noted that his Japanese had improved a bit. It was still be a while before it came to the level his was, but it was better that nothing.

"Morning," he said warily as he entered the kitchen. Tsugumi smiled fondly at him, while the fathers talked uninterrupted about something that sounded like locations.

"What have they been talking about?" he asked the younger girl, slowly moving towards the table with rice and eggs.

"Your dad wants to know where Hell Girl has been. But she's been everywhere, so Hajime-chan has been trying to tell him about all the places we saw her."

"Oh." He said nothing more, and ate his breakfast in silence.

He was mentally going through the list of people he knew that spoke Japanese. It was diminished quickly. Except… Just maybe…

And then the vision came.

"Not now…" Frank mumbled. This time, he couldn't leave the room. They were all going to hear.

He just hoped Joe wouldn't mention his own name.

"'Mistress…'" he heard himself mumble. His vision switched to his brother's point of view, and the older Hardy son saw Ai.

Frank was sure the others were staring at him right now, but he couldn't focus. All he could see, hear and say was what he saw and heard in the scene.

_"Have you located him yet?"_

"'Not yet, but we have an idea of what his plans are. He's going to go after the actor. Should we try to stop him there?'"

_"Yes."_

"'Also, we believe that he might prevent us to enter the area until the exact time he plans for us.'"

_"Do not worry. We will get him, and ferry him back to Hell."_

The vision faded, and Frank could hear the voice of his father calling him. But he felt suddenly tired, and within seconds, his body had dropped into his father's arms, as his mind called him back to a peaceful sleep.

------------------

_"Joe…"_

_"What?"_

_"I was watching your brother, and he had a vision."_

_"So? He has them-"_

_"In front of you dad."_

_"Crap."_

--------------

Frank slowly regained consciousness, and noted that he was back in his room, laying on the mat he had for a bed, turned away from what he was sure was his father's figure. He didn't want to get up, so he stayed under the covers, and closed his eyes…

_"Frank."_

Instinct told him to open his eyes, but he fought the impulse. The voice was calm and familiar…

_"It's me, Kukiko. Remember? Don't open your eyes, your father's next to you, but just hear me out."_

He nodded slowly, enough to go unnoticed by at the same time to show he understood.

_"Well, your visions kinda blew it. Not your fault, considering since you're closer to Joe here than when you were at home. But… We figured with the time zones thing straightening out, you might have these visions more likely during day and night."_

Joy…

_"Joe has been swearing since he found out, by the way. Not a pretty thing. But the main thing is, Mistress says it's not something you can prevent. So, I guess you have to go with the flow. But Joe said try not to reveal his identity. We're going to be careful with the names, but if your dad asks, don't tell him anything."_

He peeped open his eyes, and looked towards the small mirror leaning against the wall. He had meant to put it up, but had forgotten. Frank was glad for this, however, when he saw Kukiko's faint image. Her wavy, light brown hair had gone past her shoulders, and her hazel eyes stared back at him. They had long ago reached an understanding. It could have been because she had been another victim of the murderer his brother had faced.

Or, as Frank had told Joe, maybe it was because she had studied pyschology and he could have a decent conversation with her.

Either way, the two had become acquaintances, maybe even friends. It was not something that he would have expected when he worked on the original case, but then again, he had thought of his brother as truly dead.

_"And you might want to drop the whole 'I'm asleep' act. It's been over three hours. See ya."_

Three hours? Why had he been out so long? Usually, he was never tired when he received a vision; quite the opposite in fact. So why was this time different?

He pretended to slowly stir from slumber, and heard his father gasp in relief. He turned over, and met Fenton's face. "Dad?"

"Frank, why didn't you tell me?"

"You mean the visions?"

"You were hurt, you could possibly be in danger-"

"Dad, I'm okay. And I wanted to tell you, but… I needed to understand the visions for myself. It was nothing I could stop, so I let it be."

"Frank, I want you to tell me, who did you see? Do you think you know?"

"Hell Girl. Countless victims, and almost always Hell Girl."

-----------------

_"Please, help me!"_

-----------------

Why didn't he tell his father? Frank had questioned his motives over and over again until the darkness cloaked the sky. Fenton had a right to know about his son, even though Joe was technically dead.

Frank fingered the pile of papers near his sleeping area. When he was positive that he was the only one up, he slipped out from under the covers. The summer air had greeted him as he slid the glass door open, and the stars shone just as brightly as before. This time, Frank had the curtains closed, and pulled the door back almost to its original position.

He had a powerful flashlight in his pocket, about the size of a pen. He took it out, and clicked the button. An instant beam of light was produced, and he shone it on the papers that he had brought out with him.

The stories inscribed on the paper told of murders, with two unfortunate victims. The shooter had been found, but was already dead. His face contained a look of pure fear, as the reporter had noted repeatedly.

Two young teenagers, who had inspiring dreams, were dead on the scene. They had been on a train to a rural area, when the murderer had strike. Two simple shots, to the chest of each one. It was quick, but was damaging to the Hardys. Kukiko had lived as an orphan, and as far as Frank was concerned, no one gave much of a damn.

Frank remembered his parents agreeing to bury her body in America next to Joe's. The blonde had already contacted them enough to tell of his new friend. They thought it would only be fair to attempt to return the favor.

Frank had known that the world was cruel since he was a young child. But why did it have to do this? Why did it fling him into this issue, something that he had not wanted to deal with?

He had also realized two other things at a young age. One was that questions answered usually brought up more questions.

The other being that some questions are never answered.


	6. Chapter 6

Important thing to know: In season one, there's a guy whose name is Gill... something. It was something that sounded French and fancy. *goes and looks* Gill du Ronfell. Important thing is, he was also known as Hell Boy. He was a television sensation, and unlike Ai, did whatever he pleased. He was born with his powers, and claimed he had died and gone to Hell once before because his parents killed him, afraid of his powers. Gill then proceeded to send his parents, teacher,and anyone he disliked to Hell. Gill wanted to face off against Ai, but Ai didn't fight back because she had rules to follow, one which that she doesn't allow her emotions to get involved with the cases. In the end, another guy requests Ai to kill Gill. Gill said that he would come back for round two of their fight...

Don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"And now, the decision rests with you."**

--------------

Frank walked slowly down the street, in hopes to erase his worries and doubts. Sooner or later, the truth would be revealed. His father will find out all about Joe and Hell Girl. Who knows what could happen beyond that simple point of shock?

Truthfully, he wanted to run away. His father will never have to know if he was out of the picture, the only source he had connecting him to Ai. All Frank was, in truth, was the middle man.

At the same time, he knew with just enough stress to his parents would destroy the family. Tensions between the couple were at an all time high. A single domino would have set off the chain.

There really was no easy way out. And for once, Frank could not think of one of his brilliant plans to save himself. It was easier when Joe was there, rattling off ideas that could have sparked the flame to a plan. But here, he was the last leaf on a tree during the fall: the world was waiting for his to follow the others and disappear.

A noise pierced his thoughts, and instantly the brunette stuck a hand in his pocket. The caller idea displayed on the small screen of his cell identified his father, so Frank flipped the phone open. "Hey Dad, what's up?"

_"I've meet a guy while walking through a café, and he says that he can help us find Hell Girl."_

"Really?" Frank hid the nausea he felt in his stomach and head, but whether it was from fear or worry, he could not tell.

_"This is actually interesting: He claims to have been in Hell twice."_

Now he knew it was a combination of fear and worry. "What's the guy's name?"

_"Gill du Ronfell"_

---------------

_"Kukiko?"_

_"Yes Mistress?"_

_"You need to come with me."_

_"But there haven't been any requests-"_

_"We found him."_

---------------

"Why him? Why now? Why to me?!" Frank had practically shouted the last question aloud while walking to the house. He was grateful of the lack of people on the street, and took full advantage of it.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you are an above average detective, exceptionally smart person, and your brother just happened to be working for Hell Girl?"

His first impulse was to turn around and confront the owner of the voice. But he didn't need to; Kukiko appeared right in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk about your 'guest'."

--------------

_"Please… Mistress…"_

--------------

"So he won't sense you at all?"

"Mistress had extended some of her magic to cloak my aura. And he never met the 'crazy chic', as Joe likes to put it."

"Does… Does Joe know?"

"Not yet. We wanted to hear your response first."

Frank looked down to the gravel of the road. "I'm… I'm in."

"Not that I want to scare you… But do you know this guy's potential? He wants revenge, and he'll most likely kill you. We might be able to make sure he can't send you to Hell, but that doesn't mean he can't attempt to kill you. And if someone else were to kill you, you would be dead. They aren't supposed to be in Hell, so we can't do a thing about it."

"But if I back out, this guy will hurt you, Joe, Ai, and not to mention people who are alive." He shook his head, and met her eyes. "I can't risk all of that because I'm scared."

"Alright then." Kukiko's hand shot up to touch the brooch on the ribbon that was wrapped around her neck. For a second, the symbol of the contract flashed its image to the world. A sudden wind swirled around the girl, and within seconds she turned into a dark purple doll with a scarlet thread tied around its neck.

Frank easily caught the falling doll, his mind shattered over the thought that he would have to pull the thread.

Kukiko probably sense his predicament. _"You're not going through with the contract like other people, so calm down."_

--------------

_Getting those fools to help me makes my revenge all the sweeter!_

--------------

Frank sat outside of the glass door during the night, as he had been since he had arrived to the Shibata's house. The moon was still shining brightly, but had been partially engulfed in the night during the course of the weeks. The stars had refused to leave their companion, and joined it in the lighting of the sky.

He had silently made a vow to himself to try to act more social with the other members of the house, but it would prove difficult. With so much on his mind, and so many secrets…

What was the point of socializing if he was going to lie most of the time?

But he had to show up with his father to meet Gill du… whatever. Apparently, self-proclaimed Hell Boy had slipped away, and his father had no intention of telling their hosts about the encounter.

Silently, he pulled the purple doll out of his pocket, and asked "What happens if Gill tries to send other people to Hell?"

_"I'm pretty sure they won't be sent, considering that the bastard should be in Hell himself."_

"Okay." He was worried. No doubt Gill will try to harm others to obtain his vengeance. Frank wasn't that concerned about his own welfare. It was the others that haunted his thoughts.

------------

_"He said YES?!"_

_"You're gonna wake the poor guy up, Joe."_

_"But he said_ yes!_"_

_"We had to let him decide without anyone attempting to make him go deaf."_

_"But-"_

_"Joe, your brother wants to help us. We can't do anything else but let him."_

_"Be he'll get hurt!"_

_"And what if he doesn't go with your dad? What will happen to Fenton Hardy?"_

_"I… I…"_

_"Exactly. Listen, Frank knows what kind of world he's entering. But he already agreed to Mistress's promise to help whenever he can. And he had a choice in the matter. But he's worried about everyone else. His own fear is overshadowed by his fear for others. He's like us, only alive."_

--------------

Frank woke up to the sound of chirping from outside of the house. Slowly, he got up, and reached for his clothes. Lying on top of the pile, Kukiko sat in her straw doll form, reminding him of his past promise.

"Right…" he mumbled. "I'm going to pull the string."

_"Are you still freaking out? Now I see how you and Joe are related."_

"Did Joe find out?"

_"Yeah, and he wasn't happy about it at all. But, I convinced him it was your decision."_

Yeah… His decision, and his alone.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"In all my years as a PI, all the cases I worked on with the police, I never came across anything that couldn't be explained by physical evidence and human motives."**

**-Fenton Hardy, ****The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers: ****Haunted**

--------------

Gill had not been spoken about again through the whole next two days, to which Frank was grateful about. It had appeared that the television star had decided to only acquaint himself with the retired investigator. Was it part of the grand plan that Hell Boy had plotted?

If only the brunette knew.

The doll was still in his pocket. Every now and again, Frank took it out and examined it. Kukiko usually said nothing to this treatment, and answered most of his questions with ease. Sometimes, she even responded to things he said aloud and offered her opinion about certain decisions.

The scarlet thread around her neck taunted him, though. He knew he could not pull it quite yet, and the emotions within him were mixed into a giant puddle full of life.

On one hand, he was still scared. Kukiko had already gone over the process multiple times, reminding the anxiety within himself to settle down. He was not going to Hell. He was just helping his brother and the girl that gave him butterflies in his stomach… Yeah…

There was another side of Frank's mind that was rebellious. It demanded that the adrenaline to be released, that he should take joy in pulling the string. It was equivalent to him sending someone to Hell, just without consequence.

Back and forth, his mind battled over the feelings of a string tied around a straw doll's neck. Truthfully, if he had learned of this fate more than a year ago, he would have laughed and brushed it off. Even with the additional information of his brother's spirit helping ferry souls to Hell, Frank was sure he would have thought nothing of it.

If only it was nothing.

----------------

_"Why did he… Why did he do this to us?!"_

----------------

Frank slowly counted down the minutes until his father was to come back to the Shibata house. It had been a week since the initial contact with Gill, and nothing more had risen from this. At least, nothing that he knew of.

Closing his eyes, Frank allowed his back to hit the couch, as he gazed at the ceiling. His mind began to drift off, demanding the rest it rightfully deserved. It had been another long night of plotting and wondering, thus he missed his sleep yet again. So slowly, the brunette settled down and allowed his eyes to close…

_It was dark and cold. He heard his father calling for him. He opened his mouth, and heard his own voice responding._

_Someone said something, and he felt his mouth close. Then he saw something being pulled out, the black metal shining under the dim light._

_The last thing he heard was a bang that deafened him, and a shout of worry and sadness._

Frank sat up so fast, he risked falling off the couch completely and bumping his head on the coffee table. He barely glanced at the clock hanging from the wall. The hands told that his father would be home within five minutes. Not wanting to risk being caught, Frank sprinted towards his room, locked the door, and went to the balcony.

"Kukiko… I… I…"

_"You okay?"_

"I… I think I just saw my death…"

---------------

_Something welled up within Joe, as he could hear a faint gunshot and his father screaming. He didn't know what to think of it: all he knew was that his brother was at the Shibata house and his father was at the library or something._

_He didn't think about the incident for another few days, until he saw the damage himself._

---------------

"You want to _what_?!"

"Please, Kukiko…"

"Are you so sure that you saw your death?"

"Yes, I am. I… I can't leave this world yet. You and Joe and Ai… I have to help somehow. I can't just allow it to happen."

"You know what you're asking for, right?"

"Yes… but it'll be worth it. Believe me, Kukiko. Please."

Her hazel eyes were wide open, but the rest of her of her face was a stone statue under the moon's light. She had taken a risk and went back to her human form, and Frank admitted that he calmed down when the thread had disappeared.

"I'll… I'll talk to Mistress about this. And Joe-"

"Don't tell him. I can't…"

"You don't want to worry him, right?" The sympathy mixed into her voice surprised him a bit, but then again, Kukiko had studied psychology.

Frank could only nod. He felt that he was out of his body and mind, thinking and responding, but at the same time it wasn't really ihim/i that was doing the talking.

"I won't tell him. Just do me a favor and try not to run into Gill while I'm gone for a few minutes." Kukiko began to slide the glass the door quietly, creating an opening just big enough for the two to slip through one at a time. "Then again," she mumbled "trouble seems to always find you and your brother, so I shouldn't get my hopes too high."

Frank gave a small chuckle. "It's a gift."

"From who? Your guardian angel?"

They quietly walked toward the bathroom, where the mirror over the sink waited silently, reflecting the little light the window had allowed through the door. With one swift motion, Kukiko jumped over the obstacle and went through the mirror as if it were water. Ripples marked her entrance point for a few seconds, and then before Frank's eyes the mirror was back to its original state.

Absent mindedly, the brunette allowed him fingers to glide over the glass and allowed the cool touch to comfort him. Frank was in a half trance, wondering if he had asked for the right thing. _Of course I have! It's the only way…_

---------------

_"Is he sure that he wants to take this path?"_

_"Judging by the accuracy of his visions so far, he really is convinced that he saw his death. He's more than sure about his decision."_

_"Tell him yes, then."_

_"As you say, Mistress."_

--------------

To the purest of luck, Fenton Hardy did not come home for another twenty minutes. Whether it was a good sign or a bad one, Frank couldn't call it just yet.

Kukiko came back through the mirror about five minutes after she had disappeared, and resumed the innocent looking doll form. Frank had pocketed the purple doll, and slowly walked to the kitchen to cook the dinner. By the time his father had gotten home, the fear that the younger Hardy had seemed to have been wiped off his face completely.

"Did you find anything, Dad?"

"Not much, but I have a hunch about something." His father set his books down, and walked over to the brunette. "Your… your visions might be able to help us."

Frank did not like where this was going, and assumed that Kukiko didn't either. "How so?"

"They can help us predict who made contact with Hell Girl. We'll find them, and stop them before they do anything drastic. And if we're lucky, we'll catch her."

"Yeah Dad… sure." Frank's heart was definitely not into it, but he remembered his initial task. "And maybe Gill can help us."

"Yes, yes…" Fenton's spirit seemed to have grown, pushing away any happiness that Frank had left within him.

* * *

I'm sorry Frank! :(


	8. Chapter 8

Don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"Well, be careful."**

**-Fenton Hardy, The Hardy Boys, Undercover Brothers: Extreme Danger**

-----------------

Joe didn't show up that evening, which only made Frank's tension worse. He pulled Kukiko out of the hiding place under his shirts in his bag, and said "You don't think…"

_"We can't do anything about it, Frank. There's less than ten minutes until midnight, and your father is coming is less than five. We have to play this out."_

"Is there a request, then?"

_"Truth__fully, there probably is. Joe has a habit of waiting with Mistress if she has a feeling a request is coming."_

The brunette sighed, and mumbled "Thanks for the warning." He placed the purple doll back into the hiding place, and went out to the balcony. A few moments later, he heard his father enter the room, and sighed.

It was time for the show to begin.

It was exactly midnight, and he could feel the force pull him into the semi conscious state he had gotten use to. As Fenton opened the door, Frank's eyes already appeared unfocused, and the young brunette saw the land where the sun was never fully gone yet never fully present.

"'You want vengeance, don't you?'" he heard himself mumble, as his vision turned to a teenager who could have only been fourteen years old.

_"Please, make her stop! She hurts us all, and now…"_

His father was right beside him no, but Frank ignored his presence as he repeated Joe's words to the girl.

"'Was she really that horrible?'"

_"Yes, yes! She stole my boyfriend! She stole everyone's significant other! And then she would twist them in such horrible ways with drugs and threats…"_

_"Joe."_

"'Yes, mistress.'" The world seemed to grow larger as Joe changed into a pine green doll with a scarlet thread wrapped around his neck.

_"This is for you. If you truly wish revenge, just untie the scarlet thread from its neck. By pulling the thread, you will bind us into a covenant. I will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell. However, once vengeance is served, you will then have to pay your end of the bargain."_

_"Huh?"_

_"There always has to be a price to pay. And so your soul will also belong to Hell."_

"'There's no going back once you pull the thread. You will never go to Heaven and know the joys of it when you die. Instead, you will be in a world of pain and agony for eternity, never being able to escape.'"

_"And now, the decision rests with you."_

The place disappeared from Frank's sight, and he began to fall backwards, only to be caught by his father.

"Well?"

"The girl's name is Chika Sato. She goes to school around here…" Frank kept his eyes closed as he regained his balance. It was another strange gift that he had. He knew everything about the victim and the "client" right after the initial meeting. This gift had been questioned by the group, because unlike the connection he had with Joe (and the weak reasoning behind it), they could not find a reason for it.

"Good. We should be able to track her down then. But as for now…" Fenton turned to the doorway. "Get some sleep, son."

"I'll try Dad. I'll try."

--------------

Frank had barely laid down when he felt a swooping sensation in his stomach. He opened his eyes to find himself in the "sunset land" (that's what he uses to refer to the place where Ai and the servants lived) next to the giant tree. He slowly got up, and heard a groaning next to him.

"Kukiko, what's going on?" He looked at the girl, surprised that she was not in her doll form anymore.

"No clue. Mistress might have done it, but-" The brunette girl's eyes suddenly set their gaze forward, and Frank followed her example. In front of them stood a small blonde girl, probably no more than seven or eight years old.

"Who are you?" Frank asked.

The child's face mirrored Ai Enma's blank expression as she replied with "I'm the Unforgiving Witch."

Kukiko gasped. "You… Where's Mistress?"

"She's coming. I want to talk to you, Frank."

"Me?" Frank slowly got up. "Well… I'll be happy to talk to you if I knew who you were."

The girl looked at Ai's servant, who nodded as she began to stand. "The Unforgiving Witch is a being whose power is considered unrivaled to anyone of Earth. She's been here as long as the Greeks, making her older than Mistress."

Kukiko's gaze did not leave the child as she drew in a breath. "There are quite a few legends and myths about her origins and powers. If I remember correctly, she gained her powers because of her father, who wanted to be the strongest Athenian there was. Am I correct?"

The witch nodded, and Kukiko continued.

"They say she has made an agreement with Heaven and Hell. She would slay those who deserved to be damned and save those who are Heaven bound. In exchange, she would be allowed to keep the forbidden powers that her father forced upon her."

"But… why is she called the Unforgiving Witch?"

"Her temper." Frank turned and looked at the child as Kukiko revealed more. "She killed those who have hurt her, including her father, never showing a bit of mercy. Because of that, some of her enemies gave her that name, and it stuck throughout time."

"They don't deserve mercy," the child said softly, her blue eyes looking at both of them. "Now may I speak with you, Frank?"

"Uh, sure." Frank was cautious as he slowly walked to the girl. She already seemed like a powerful foe, but she had an aura of comfort surrounding her… familiar too…

"You cannot work for Hell Girl."

"Huh?"

The girl took a step, and she grabbed the air in front of her. The gesture seemed pointless, except as she pulled down on the invisible thing, the collar of the brunette boy's shirt was forced downward. Frank only looked at the girl for a second before noticing the mark on his chest.

It was not like the black covenant seal that the clients of Hell Correspondence wore. Instead, the mark was red and appeared to resemble a scroll.

"You're my servant, not Ai Enma's."

-------------

_The day he was born, she knew he was something special._

_He was born with abilities like her, but she knew that he could not show the powers just yet. So, she locked them up until she could determine he was ready. It was most likely after his death, but she knew it was for the best._

_The second child was also like the first. His powers were easier to detain, but something had nagged her. A little voice in her told her he would be the first. So, she adjusted his seal. If he died, his powers would awaken automatically._

_She had also talked to Ai Enma. She knew the fates wanted them to meet again, so she followed along._

_At that meeting, she made a request. If the situation did arise (and her powers were very accurate, so more than likely the situation would), then Ai could borrow the younger boy. However, she wanted the brunette. The older child was almost a treasure to her, after she realized the beginnings of his true powers. He needed more assistance if he wanted to master his gifts._

_It's been over a decade since that talk, but the agreement still stands: the Unforgiving Witch will have Frank._

------------

"But why did the seal break before Frank died?" Kukiko asked, her hostility gone. The witch had explained her purpose of coming, after almost half a century in hiding.

"He saw Joe, and Joe was dead." The child shrugged. "The seal wasn't perfect."

"And now, you want him back?"

"He saw it for himself. His time will end soon." She looked at the brunette in question.

"Why didn't you tell me before this whole mess?" Frank asked, almost hypnotized by her blue eyes.

"You weren't ready. But now you know the future and have accepted it." She gave a very small smile. "You're ready now."

Frank smiled back. "Thanks, I think. But…" He thought for a second, choosing his words carefully. "Why didn't you tell Joe?"

"Because he's different than you. He must grow more before I tell him everything." She looked at Kukiko. "Do not tell him anything that I have told either of you."

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Frank, you can decide, you know." The child turned her gaze back on Frank. "Maybe you should decide what will happen to you."

Frank's eyes grew wide with surprise. Ten minutes ago, this girl tells him that he cannot work for Ai, and now she's letting him choose?

The witch must have seen his uneasiness because she said "I just want you to be happy."

The brunette boy nodded his head. "Just one last question before I answer you."

"Yes?"

"How long do I have?"

The girl pondered for a moment, before replying "It was originally three weeks." She held up three fingers on her right hand. "But the girl who just made the request tampered with it."

"Tampered?"

"She changed the strings of fate, or someone behind her. So now, you only have two days."

"What?!" Kukiko exclaimed. "How could that have happened?"

"Like I said, she tampered with fate." The witch looked at Frank straight in the eyes. "Well?"

Frank stared back. He didn't want to make this choice. All he had wanted was to stay home back in Bayport. He wanted his parents to stop fighting. He wanted to live out the rest of his life.

But what could he do now? His life has been shattered, and he was given two different chances. Maybe he could run away…

No. Frank knew he couldn't let this problem go away. In the end, there was still Gill to face and lives to save. He just had to choose how he would help.

If only the whole world wasn't watching him make his move.


	9. Chapter 9

I really wish that I own Hardy Boys and Hell Girl, but alas, I do not...

Enjoy!

* * *

**"Seems to me that if you're not in danger, you're not happy."**

**-Aunt Gertrude The Hardy Boys: The Stone Idol**

-------------

Frank sat on the cold ground, his hands tied behind his back. He had been blindfolded, too. The man with the gun sat near him, breathing heavily.

Frank didn't cry. He couldn't. All he could do was remember himself calling his mother to say goodbye.

_"Mom?"_

_"Yes, sweetie?"_

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too."_

_"I… I might not see you again."_

_"Frank, what are you saying?"_

_"It's almost time. You won't see me in this form again."_

_"Frank? Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah, just… bye Mom. I'll see you again after I cross the line."_

He had cried after that. He never wanted to be forced to say goodbye to his mother over the phone like that. But he knew it was his last chance.

It had been two days since he had met the Unforgiving Witch. Two days ago, he decided his path in fate. Frank chose silently, and told Kukiko she wasn't needed anymore. She needed to stay with Ai to protect the damned girl. Frank had to deal with the consequences himself.

The case had gotten messy. The girl had hired a thug to help take out unwanted intrusions. Fenton had almost instantly made himself a target, but with a last minute maneuver, it was Frank who took the hit.

It was like the dream, except this time he could see. He could hear his father coming, shouting for him. Fenton didn't know of the thug.

The brunette swallowed, knowing his warning would be his last words.

"Dad, look out!"

The gunshot rang out as his father shouted, and then the darkness consumed Frank.

----------------

Joe didn't remember much of what had happened. When the girl pulled the string, all he could think about was how he had wanted to talk to his brother. But when he saw Frank's image, as one of her victims…

He went on the boat with Ai to watch the girl, shaking in fear. He had transformed into a panther, and clawed at her stomach. It made him feel better, even though he cried for hours afterwards.

"Mistress, may I speak to my father?"

The question was spoken quietly through the last of his tears. He didn't know why he wanted to talk to Fenton. Something inside him just gently pushed him towards his father for comfort, and the blonde allowed himself to drift in that direction.

"Joe," Kukiko said softly. "Frank's body disappeared. There's still a chance."

Anger bubbled within him. Joe got up, and walked up to the brunette girl. "Why weren't you with him?! Why was he alone?! If you were there-"

"She would have been powerless." The two turned to look at Ai. "The Unforgiving Witch has claimed Frank's soul. She had allowed fate to go this path, and there is nothing I can do about it."

The Unforgiving Witch. Joe had heard stories about the mysterious figure, and at one point, even wanted to meet her. Why would she want Frank?

"Joseph." The blonde quickly allowed his thoughts to disappear as Ai addressed him. "You may speak to your father. We will need his help. Gill has reappeared."

----------------

_"Would you like me to do something, Mistress?"_

_"Thank you for asking, Frank. But no, not yet."_

_"Gill has come back."_

_"Yes, he has. We will wait for now, though. It's not our battle, yet."_

_"When will it be our battle?"_

_"Be patient. You need to train more."_

_"Yes, Mistress."_

---------------

Fenton had locked himself in his room since he returned from the warehouse. The thug had disappeared, as well as Frank's body…

"Dad." Fenton looked up, and came face to face with his blonde, dead son.

"What…?" Was he hallucinating? Did the shock of Frank's death make his mind replay old memories of Joe?

Joe shook his head, as if he had read Fenton's thoughts. "There's a lot I need to tell you, Dad. I don't know where to start."

The retired PI let out a small chuckle. "Start at the beginning, I guess."

"The beginning…" Joe turned his gaze from Fenton to the window, where the pale moonlight entered the room. "The beginning was the end of my life."

"When you were murdered."

"Yeah." Joe let out a long, slow breath. "When I first arrived in Japan, I heard rumors about Hell Girl. I was so freaked out at first, knowing that this girl comes and basically kill people. Yeah, the victims most often were criminals, but there was still the fact that people were suffering for eternity for something that could have been changed while they were alive."

"The same reason I want to stop Ai Enma," Fenton said softly. "Revenge is not worth it in the long run."

"I met Kukiko on the train to Tokyo before going to school. She told me about stories she had learned while she had stayed with one family before they sent her back to the orphanage due to financial reasons. She told me Ai Enma's story, about how she was damned to do this task for who knows how long…"

"She had a choice, didn't she?"

The blonde shook his head. "You don't know the story, do you? You never asked the Shibatas or anything?"

"No… I always assumed that the story was irrelevant."

"It's not. She tried to get revenge, justice… whatever you want to call it. The village tried to sacrifice her, and her family tried to save her. In the end, her immediate family was killed. She had a cousin, too. She loved him more than anything. But he was forced to start burying her alive." Joe's blue eyes met Fenton's. "She had an unusual power, which she used to burn down the entire village."

"And she became Hell Girl because she want to help others…?"

"No. This is her punishment for her sins." Joe tore his gaze from his father yet again. "I felt so bad after finding that out… I wanted to help her. I told Kukiko that when I died, I would go and offer my services to her. I didn't know how soon I would die then."

"So when you did died…"

"Kukiko and I found Ai Enma, and started helping her," Joe finished. "Last year, when Frank was here, I became upset at myself. Why did I choose the opposite side of a war my brother was trying to fight? I didn't know what to do, other than turn into a black cat and watch Frank run around looking for answers."

"Did he find out?"

"Yeah. Don't know how, but he followed a victim to the gates of Hell. He watched the guy get tortured and all. He told me later that he had dreams about all of the victims after he saw me as a black cat."

"So that's when his dreams started…"

"Frank had them back in the US, too. The dreams weren't as frequent, but he saw everything that happened. He saw ime/i tormenting the victims, sealing the agreement, and sending people to Hell." The blonde sighed. "I told him I could stop, but all he said was that I had a duty to perform, and that I should forget about him…"

"You blame yourself, huh?"

"Completely. What's worse, Frank's spirit is with the Unforgiving Witch, who no one has seen for almost half a century!"

"The who?" The name sounded familiar to Fenton, but where had he heard it before…

"The Unforgiving Witch." For the next half hour or so, Joe explained as his father listened. He talked about the mysterious figure, and how she had killed more than the number of victims Ai had sent to Hell. About how she passed through Heaven, Hell, and Earth with ease. How she was the most feared being, yet had disappeared all of a sudden almost five decades ago.

"Why did she take Frank?"

"I don't know. I have a feeling it's because of all of his visions."

"I see…" Fenton looked at the clock. "It's almost midnight."

"Yeah, it is." Joe got up. "I have to go. But… I'll be back eventually. Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day. But I'll be back."

"Okay, Joe." Fenton got up, and embraced the blonde in a hug. His mind was reeling in all the facts that he had learned. "I… I won't interfere."

"Good." Joe pulled away, and walked towards the open window. He placed a foot on the ledge before turning back. "Dad, if you see Gill again, run."

"What…?"

"He's dangerous, Dad. Stay far away from him." With that, Joe jumped out the window.

Fenton ran towards the opening, expecting to see Joe on the ground, bleeding. But instead, a crow rose from the spot under the window, cawing loudly as it flapped into the night sky.

He watched for a bit, before heading back to his bad. The PI laid his head down against the pillow, thinking.

He wasn't completely sure what was reality, but he wanted desperately to believe that he was dreaming. He didn't want to believe that Joe works for Ai Enma, because that would mean they were enemies. They had different views on the word "justice," and that alone stung him. Fenton had always taught his sons the importance of justice and what was right, but now it was all shattered.

Fenton shut his eyes as images of Frank appeared in his mind. Why didn't Frank tell him? Was he worried about a rift forming in the family? Did Frank want to save Joe from any disrespect now he was dead?

One thing was for sure; Frank was the one who was ultimately hurt from this. He was stuck between the two powers, to be used in one way or another. That had to cause more pain than his arguing with Laura…

Laura. She was hurt from the whole ordeal too. Fenton couldn't imagine calling her now, telling her that their last son had died because of a combination of his investigation and magical powers. Sure, she believes in the supernatural, but would she understand this?

Fenton allowed himself to drift off to sleep after the long day. He wanted to go back in time and fix everything. He wanted to bond with Joe more. He wanted to let Frank rest, instead of becoming the rope in a tug of rope war. He longed to apologize to Laura, and tell her all the reasons of why he loves her.

Fenton Hardy cried for the first time in years before the sleep finally brought him into the realm of dreams, where what he longed for stood next to him, only to be taken away in an instant.

* * *

I feel all sad inside now... Sorry Frank and Fenton...


	10. Chapter 10

Almost done with this...  
I do not own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"Oh pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Oh damned soul, wallowing in your sin…"**

--------------------

Fenton woke up to a cat meowing next to his ear. He slowly opened his eyes, to find a black cat sitting next to his head on the pillow.

"How'd you get here?" Fenton sat up and picked up the cat. It meowed softly, cuddling against Fenton.

_"I want some fish!"_

"What…?!"

_"I mean… Meow!"_

The PI dropped the cat, who jumped gracefully to the floor. "What the hell?"

_"Sorry, Dad. The kid pulled the string the second he got the straw doll, so the case is done. And with Gill on the loose…"_

"Why is Gill so bad?" Fenton asked Joe, registering that he was technically talking to a cat.

_"Gill calls himself Hell Boy. He sent people to Hell just for upsetting him. His parents, his teachers… He destroyed a career of a TV psychic, who made the request for him to go to Hell. But Gill managed to escape, probably with what's left of his powers. We figured that he's probably going after Hell Girl for a 'rematch.'"_

"But why did he come up to me?"

_"Greatest detective in the world, trying to locate Hell Girl? Not that hard, Dad."_ The cat looked straight into Fenton's eyes, the yellow orbs reflecting the sun. _"But the witch issue is a bigger thing at the moment. Mistress can't do anything, but_ I _can."_

"You can?"

_"The rules don't apply to me for some reason. I might have to pay for it later, but right now we need to find Frank."_ Joe headed to the door, before looking back. _"You need breakfast. Then we'll look."_

"Okay." Fenton got up, and followed the black cat to the kitchen, trying to understand all the information he received the last twenty four hours.

---------------

_"Mistress."_

_"Only a day after your death, and you have mastered many spells. I have underestimated your powers."_

_"Your extensive library has helped. And not needing to sleep."_

_"Yes, the dead don't easily sleep. If we did sleep, we would not be doing what we have done in the land of the living. And the library is an old habit."_

_"'Old habit?'"_

_"Being an Athenian has brought out my thirst for knowledge."_

_"Is that why…"_

_"Yes, it is. I wanted to try being a mortal in a lifestyle I would enjoy. Who knew fate would drive me to you…"_

-------------

The hours had passed by slowly. Joe, still taking his cat form, had been trying to pick up a trace of Frank's presence. So far, nothing had been found.

_"It's the Unforgiving Witch we're talking about. It might take a while."_ The cat had stayed perfectly still in the center of Frank's room since earlier in the morning, and now that noon had passed a few hours ago, Fenton's hopes had slowly diminished.

Fenton had almost dozed off when he felt a dropping sensation throughout his entire body. Opening his eyes, he realized he was in fact _falling_ into an abyss of darkness.

_"Gill!"_ The black cat instantly took the familiar form of the young, blonde teenager. "That bastard-"

"What's going on?!" Fenton shouted to Joe.

"Gill gained power. Probably transporting us someplace. Here, grab my hand!" Joe extended his arm to the retired PI, who instinctively grabbed it. Once Joe seemed positive that they had a firm grip, he held out his other hand and started mumbling something. Fenton didn't understand any of it until Joe yelled, "Release!"

The darkness retreated, revealing what seemed to be an elegant set for a television show.

"Damn, he got you too." Fenton turned his head as he and Joe landed on the ground, half amazed to find the dead girl buried next to Joe standing in a black school uniform, holding a spool of scarlet thread.

"Kukiko, Dad. Dad, Kukiko," Joe said quickly.

"Charmed." Kukiko nodded her head in Fenton's direction.

"Yeah…"

"Where's Mistress?"

"I am here." The trio watched as a girl walked out from behind a pillar near the staircase to their left. Her hair was very long, and seemed to posses the night sky in its color. Her red eyes reminded Fenton of a long, blazing fire.

"Dad, Ai Enma."

Fenton was at a lost for words. This was the girl he had tried to hunt down in hopes of bringing justice to the world. He would have probably _killed_ her if given the chance. What was he supposed to say?

He never got a chance to think it over, because at that precise moment, another person fell from the sky.

"Ah!!!!"

Instinctively, Fenton ran over and caught the woman. Her speed and weight combined knocked them both to the ground.

"Fenton?!"

He looked up, and realized he was holding his wife in his arms.

"Mom?"

"Joe?" She looked around at the surroundings, as if expecting something to pop out.

"Honey, this isn't a dream," Fenton said gently, helping Laura to her feet. "There's so much… I don't know where to begin."

"Mom, I…" Joe walked up to his mother, but stopped suddenly. He began to shake, as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his head. "You can't be… no…"

"Joe?" Fenton released his wife. "What-"

"How could you?" he asked in a shaky voice. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"What?" Fenton looked at his wife, then his son, before finally gazing back at the woman near him. "Laura…"

She didn't look him straight in the eye. Rather, she stared at their dead son. "This is why, Joe. This is why you're different. I'm… I'm sorry."

Joe adverted his eyes. "You could have told me before."

"You weren't ready."

"I guess so." He let out a small chuckle. "Wow, though."

Fenton was about to ask what the two were talking about, when a loud laugh filled the room. The five turned towards the stained glass window that was the centerpiece of the set. There, a teenage boy with blonde hair and a sneer on his face floated near. He wore a buttoned down white shirt and black slacks, completing the look by donning a black cape.

"Ah, Ai Enma. I promised a rematch, and here we are!"

"Gill!" Kukiko snarled, getting ready to launch herself at the threat. Joe did the same, but his stance reminded Fenton of one from a wild cat.

"And you have new servants! Well, well…" Gill's eyes scanned the two adults who stood near Joe. "Fenton Hardy. You have served your purpose. Now for your gift."

"What are you talking about?!"

"You led me to this boy-" he said, pointing at Joe, "-who was linked to Hell Girl. I've already seen your mind, too. You don't want to deal with that woman."

The truth slowly dawned on the PI.

"Don't you dare touch her!" He stood in front of his wife, trying to shield her from the teen.

"Really? Watch me!" Gill held out his hand, and a ball of energy formed in less than a second. "Touch this, and you go straight to Hell! Might want to move out of the way, Hardy."

"Go to Hell," Fenton hissed under his breath.

Gill's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Is that how you feel? Then DIE!" The energy ball was release, and headed straight towards the married couple.

The PI pushed his wife away as the ball came closer, silently accepting his fate. He heard Laura and Joe shouting his name, but he knew it was too late.

"I love you Laura."

He spread his arms, waiting for death to claim his soul and ferry him to Hell.

* * *

*big hint/foreshadowing*

Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

One more chapter to go!  
This explains some things, while other can be seen logically. I'll try to show the logic side next chapter...

I don't own the Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.  
Enjoy!

* * *

**Perhaps, it is time to die.**

------------

The few seconds felt like hours as Fenton waited for the energy to hit him. He had already figured that it was too late to run. This was his only way to pay for his debts, too.

The blast never came.

Fenton forced his eyes opened. Gill had a look of shock plastered on his face, looking at the new enemy placed in front of him. Fenton stared at the new threat too.

"Frank?!"

Joe looked at his brother, with a different emotion seen his eyes. "So this is his true power…"

"What?" Fenton turned back to his oldest son, and was surprised to see a ball of flame enveloping his right hand. The other held a long scythe that reminded the PI of pictures of the Grim Reaper over the years.

"You dare try to cross my path, you idiotic boy?" Everyone turned and looked at Laura, who was standing up tall now. "You dare try to attack Ai Enma, who is my ally? And what's more, you dare attack my husband?!" A red, glowing symbol of a scroll inside of a sun and moon combined as one appeared at her feet.

"The Unforgiving Witch," Joe said to his father in a hushed tone. "It explains a whole lot about what's been up with us."

"Laura… Laura is the Unforgiving Witch?!" He tried to process the information, but it wouldn't work. His sweet wife had killed thousands of men?

If Laura had paid any attention to her husband's remark, she made no gesture to indicate so. Instead, she held her hand up into the air, and the beginnings of a ball of flame appeared. "As the legends say, I never forgive."

"NO!" Gill began to release a fury of attacks in the form of energy balls, but Frank managed to slice them all in half. "I will not lose this battle! I WILL NOT!"

"You just did, buddy." Frank pointed the scythe at Gill. An energy ball mirroring Gill's formed at the tip, and launched itself at the self proclaimed "Hell Boy." It hit him at the center of his chest, sending him flying into the wall behind him.

At that moment, two objects fell from an inside pocket from Gill's cape. Ai held up her hands, and they both floated towards her.

_"Mistress!"_

_"You're okay!"_

"Ichimokuren and Hone Onna!" Kukiko exclaimed. "Where's Wanyuudou?"

_"He's the traitor!"_ the blue doll proclaimed as it went back to human form. "He got Gill out in the first place, and then tried to make us join his side!"

The woman, who had also resumed human form, shook her head. "When we refused, he trapped us in doll form!"

Joe looked startled. "How is that possible?"

A piercing laughter caught their attention, and they turned to watch Gill getting up, leaning on the wall for support. "You really think he's still a weak servant? Ha! You won't believe the power that he gained from the ritual!"

"Ritual?"

"Like I'm going to tell you which ritual it is!"

"Then go back to where you belong."

The last threat came from Laura, who held a giant fireball in her raised hand. "Go to Hell." She threw it like someone was tossing a baseball. It jumped over the whole set until it closed in on its target, when it finally descended.

The earth shattering scream Gill let out frightened Fenton, but not in the way anyone else might have thought. Instead of watching Gill being swallowed by the flames, he turned and faced his wife.

There were a few details that stood out for Fenton. First thing that he noticed was that she looked twenty years younger. Her whole aura had grown stronger through her transformation. Her lips had curled into a smirk as she watched the fire consume its prey.

Laura's eyes had changed the most. A simple glimpse into her eyes seemed to reveal another world.

-----------------

_She had walked the world, been apart of many civilizations, and killed off so many people. But she had never been human for more than sixteen years of her life._

_She wanted to be human and live one life as them. One, single life._

_She had never thought that she would find love. Until that moment, she had seen men the way she had seen them thousands of years ago: troublemakers out for power. There were one or two exceptions, but they were very rare. But the second she met him, she knew that her opinion had to change._

_She gave birth. Twice. She never had expected it to be so painful. She had remembered her extreme mood swings and times where almost every other word she had let out was a swear directed at her husband._

_The pain was worth it in the end. The two boys were amazing. That's when she decided that she loved being human, even though the back of her mind lusted for blood to be spilled on the ground._

_At that moment, she didn't care._

-------------

"So you became human because you wanted to enjoy life?" Joe asked his mother, a look of confusion plastered across his face. The battle had ended quickly, and with a bit of power Laura had whisked them all away to the "sunset land" to talk.

Frank had instantly fallen asleep, his head in his mother's lap. Laura stroked his hair slowly, humming a random lullaby until she was positive he was asleep. Ai and her other three servants had gone into the house to talk about what to do with Wanyuudou, while Joe decided to stay out and find out exactly why his mother did what he did. Fenton sat next to his blonde son, wanting to find out the same answers.

"I've been killing for thousands of years. I thought it could be a break," Laura said softly, looking down at Frank. "If I knew that I would meet your father and get pregnant… well…"

"We wouldn't exist. Geez, thanks."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fenton asked in a whispered voice.

"You never did believe in magic, Fenton. Besides, I wanted to stay hidden and enjoy life. Not being treated like some kind of royalty as the people in the past had." Laura sighed. "Maybe I would have gone to Heaven to join you guys when you died. But then all of this happened…"

"So now what?" Joe asked. "Where's Frank going?"

"I decided to stay in the land of the living. My job is not yet complete. Frank already agreed to stay with me." She looked up at Joe. "You can stay with Ai, or come with us. It doesn't matter."

"Are you kidding?! I'm gonna help you!" Joe stood up. "You're my mom!"

Laura rolled her eyes. "And parents always worry that their kids want nothing to do with them." She turned to Fenton. "And what about you?"

"Huh?"

"Both Frank and Joe are dead, Fenton. And before Gill whisked me away, I was in a car that was about to be hit."

"What?!"

"Car accidents aren't uncommon at this day and age. I had to 'die' anyways. Frank needs me." She looked down at the eldest son. "Besides… Things with us haven't been so great."

Fenton understood what Laura was saying. "Are we…"

"No, not breaking up. Just taking some time apart. Or, at least that was my plan."

"What do you mean?"

"I get it," Joe whispered. "She wants to ask if you're willing to live out the rest of your life before joining us. You know… die."

Fenton looked away from his family, not knowing how to respond. Was he willing to go through the rest of the pain of living before join his family in death? Could he deal with suffering for who knows how long…?

"What would you do if I try to live the rest of my life?"

"Track down Wanyuudou. I have a feeling that he gained a lot of power through whatever ritual he used."

"Okay…" Fenton turned to face Joe and Laura, not really wanting to let himself answer. "I'm going out of retirement. I'm going to help as many people as I can before I die."

"I knew you were going to say that." She sighed again. "What about when you do die?"

"This is turning into a rather pleasant conversation," Joe mumbled, not bothering to conceal his sarcasm.

"Huh…?" Frank stirred, and sat up. "What… What's going on?"

"Mom and Dad are having a lovely conversation about what to do when Dad _dies."_

Frank blinked a few times, absorbing the information. "You mean…"

"Yup."

"'Yup' what?" Fenton asked, a bit confused.

"As in, do you want to join us when you… kick the can," Frank said softly.

Fenton was silent as he thought over the offer. Would he want to join his family when he crosses that line? More importantly, did he want to become a figure of justice in a twisted way that was the reason for why he pursued Ai Enma in the first place?

"Think it over, Fenton. Just know, we'll be waiting." With a wave of her hand, Fenton began to grow tired. He allowed the darkness to claim him, only to find himself in the Shibata's household a few minutes later.

The PI got up, not knowing what else he had left to do. He passed a mirror, and paused when he realized there was a little mark on his chest.

He pulled the collar of the shirt down to get a better view. The symbol was red, and was a scroll inside a sun and moon combined in one circle.

The sign of the Unforgiving Witch.


	12. Chapter 12

Last chapter! It's short because it kinda fits. (You'll see)

Still don't own Hardy Boys or Hell Girl.

Enjoy!

* * *

**"This is vengeance, so I'm to ferry you to Hell…"**

----------

The plane ride home was lonely and depressing. All Fenton could think about was what had happened for the past few days. His son died because of him. An indirect cause that led Frank to the last moments of his life. And on the other side of the world, Laura had decided to resume her roll as the Unforgiving Witch and destroyed her mortal life.

The Shibatas had noticed the change in him the second they saw him the next day. They had questioned, but in the end, Hajime said "It's because you met Hell Girl, isn't it?"

Fenton only nodded. He couldn't bear to answer the question and explain in full details what had happened. What had been a simple battle for the rest of the people there had been almost a nightmare for him.

Trudy had called the next day, sobbing about the news of Laura's supposed fate. He had cried too, but for a different reason.

And now he was left with the shattered world, trying to let some pieces go on without him while he tried to assemble the rest.

Fenton had only started to grasp what had gone on with his wife. She had been an Athenian, which explained her need for knowledge. That's why she decided to try a life as a research librarian. And she never expected to fall in love, the reason why she had been a bit cruel to some boys while she was in high school and college.

He looked out the window next to his seat. He wanted to escape his thoughts that had been blaming him for the past few hours. A figure caught his view, though.

It had wings like a bird, but the figure was definitely human. As it came closer to the plane, Fenton let out a small gasp, pressing his hand against the window.

Frank waved back before catching a thermal, and flying out of sight.

--------------

When Fenton got home, all he could do was sit around and think about everything that had happened. Trudy kept the house running, suspecting that her brother was overwhelmed with the ideas of death that had plagued him. If only she knew…

Only a cat's cry got Fenton out of his hypnotic trance. He looked down from where he was sitting in his study, to find a small, black cat with a scarlet thread tied around its neck.

Fenton didn't say much after that. He just picked up the cat, and started to pet it's soft fur.

Trudy later mentioned that, even thought the cat had been instantly named "Midnight," Fenton talked to it on a regularly basis, and once, had even called it "Joe."

* * *

Will this have a sequel? At the moment, it seems unlikely. There *might* be a chance, but I'm not positive.


End file.
